Norse

The Norse, also referred to as "Barbarians" in some Bloodbowl documents, are a human team specializing in heavy hitting, fast moving attacks, and are essentially a fusion of a Viking theme with a fantasy element. In the Old World where most of the Blood Bowl games take place, Norsca is Games Workshop's equivalent of Scandinavia, mostly overrun with Chaos and populated by fiercely independent tribes, some of whom embrace the darkness and others who doggedly fight on.

Norse teams have been an on again, off again phenomenon in the history of Blood Bowl, but have remained a fan favorite for many years. Although often recommended as a good starting team, they have some inherent weaknesses that can make them frustrating to play, at times.

The Norse roster begins heavily sprinkled with the Block skill, making them very useful on the line, and encouraging aggressive play. Typical Norse tactics include bold charges into enemy end zones and out and out aggressive brawling. However, two things are a problem for the unwary Norse player. First, most players have Armor Value 7, meaning that they are somewhat less than well protected for the role for which they were designed; secondarily, the Block skill, while still very useful, is not nearly as powerful as it was in previous editions of Bloodbowl, and having the skill with a starting team is no longer the huge advantage it once was.

One of the earliest Norse teams referenced in Bloodbowl goes back to 2nd edition. The Asgard Ravens are noted as a team combining Norse players with Giant allies. Giants are no longer useable in Bloodbowl, but references to the race remain sprinkled throughout the various texts released over the years.

Miniatures

Although there are some alternative miniatures available for representing Norse teams, many of these have a predominantly Valkyrie or Dwarfen feel (neither of these is bad, but if you're looking for a Viking style team, or don't want a team made up mostly of female players, finding them will be slightly more challenging.) One interesting alternative, if one plays up the "Barbarian" aspect of the list, is to go with the various 'Thrud the Barbarian' style Ogres/Humans sold by Heresy as part of their Deathball range. The Fantasy Football Store can also point you in the direction of a few more Viking style players, as can many other sources, with a enough diligent searching. It's always a good idea to check Human ranges carried by various sources of alternative miniatures for possible figures. Chaos ranges are also a good source for interesting looking possible Norse types.

Of course, as is typical with most of these teams, there is a boxed set available from Games Workshop. There is no official Yhetee miniature (or there wasn't one available at the time of this writing), so you may have to look further afield when wishing to expand in that direction. Fortunately, there are several very passable options.